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PLEASE: Do not abruptly stop taking an antidepressant or other psychoactive medication.
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* Many of you may feel you are the only one going through whatever you are going through. We assure you, you are not. The link that follows will open a new browser window. Just click the X at the top right of your screen when finished and you will return to this page. Take the time and read this, you can make it back. Click here. Newsletters - Beginning May 7, 2008 we will be providing our newsletters on this Web Site. There are several newsletters since 1999 that will be posted and will be adding them as quickly as possible. Until then, as new newsletters are published, they will added to the site upon publication. Click here to read newsletters. August 17, 2007 - The Road Back is pleased to announce the addition of another healthcare facility implementing The Road Back Program. We welcome The Institute for Detoxification and Health, located in The Woodlands, Texas, a suburb of Houston. The Institute for Detoxification and Health brings a rather refreshing and unique approach to assist individuals regain their health and well-being. If you are wanting to taper off a drug, are already off a
drug but still suffering or contemplating using a drug,
The Institute for
Detoxification and Health is fully set up to assist. The detoxification process: Stage 1 detoxification is: tapering off a medication with
medical supervision. Stage 2 detoxification is: the removal of residual toxins that remain stored in the body tissue after a Stage 1 detoxification is complete. The Institute for Detoxification and Health offers Stage 1 and Stage 2 detoxification. The Institute for Detoxification and Health
will
assist each individual with the implementation of The Road Back Program during
Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the detoxification process. Coming off these medications incorrectly can cause trauma or mental anguish. The mental anguish can keep a person on the drug or make them feel like they may need another drug just to squelch the daily withdrawal side effects that have persisted for months or years after the last dosage was taken. The Institute for Detoxification and Health can assist those individuals. How do we overcome the ups and downs in life? How do we overcome the ups and downs of withdrawal? The Institute for Detoxification and Health will offer assistance. Once a person is off psychiatric medication for 45-days, The Road Back Program urges everyone to have a competent doctor evaluate their hormones, thyroid, adrenals, cortisol, insulin resistance and the entire loop found within the pituitary system. This is the area nearly all side effects from psychiatric medication can be traced. The Institute for Detoxification and Health has the trained staff. The Institute for Detoxification and Health
now
fills a major gap to complete the goal of The Road Back. That goal is: a person
off psychoactive medication safely, a person able to remove the stored drug
residuals from their tissue, a person able to have assistance handling any and
all mental trauma created by the drug, and a person able to address and handle
why they went on the drug in the first place The Institute for Detoxification and Health is an outpatient facility. If you live in or near the Houston, Texas metro area, you now have a local solution. The Institute for Detoxification and Health will open their new Stage 2 detoxification facility August 14, 2007. If you have already tapered off your medication, you are ready to begin the Stage 2 detoxification process. Do not wait. If you are using The Road Back Program and you live in the Houston area, contact The Institute for Detoxification and Health. I certainly hope I come across as being very excited about The Institute for Detoxification and Health. For the first time, a healthcare facility offers:
The Institute for Detoxification and Health can be reached by calling 1 – 281 – 362 – 7005. If you are in or near the Houston, Texas area, I urge you to take full advantage of their valued service. Best, Jim Harper May 2, 2007 - FDA Proposes New Warnings About Suicidal Thinking, Behavior in Young Adults Who Take Antidepressant Medications "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today proposed that makers of all antidepressant medications update the existing black box warning on their products' labeling to include warnings about increased risks of suicidal thinking and behavior, known as suicidality, in young adults ages 18 to 24 during initial treatment (generally the first one to two months). The proposed labeling changes also include language stating that scientific data did not show this increased risk in adults older than 24, and that adults ages 65 and older taking antidepressants have a decreased risk of suicidality. The proposed warning statements emphasize that depression and certain other serious psychiatric disorders are themselves the most important causes of suicide. "Today's actions represent FDA's commitment to a high level of post-marketing evaluation of drug products," said Steven Galson, M.D., MPH, director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Depression and other psychiatric disorders can have significant consequences if not appropriately treated. Antidepressant medications benefit many patients, but it is important that doctors and patients are aware of the risks." People currently prescribed antidepressant medications should not stop taking them. Those who have concerns should notify their health care providers. The proposed labeling changes apply to the entire category of antidepressants. Results of individual placebo-controlled scientific studies are reasonably consistent in showing a slight increase in suicidality for patients taking antidepressants in early treatment for most of the medications. Available data are not sufficient to exclude any single medication from the increased risk of suicidality. The proposed labeling update follows similar labeling changes made in 2005 that warned of a suicidality risk in children and adolescents who use antidepressants. At that time, FDA asked manufacturers to add a black box warning to the labeling of all antidepressants to describe this risk and to emphasize the need for appropriate monitoring and close observation, particularly for younger patients taking these medications. In addition, FDA directed manufacturers to develop Medication Guides, FDA-approved user-friendly information for patients, families and caregivers, that could help improve monitoring. Medication Guides are intended to be distributed at the pharmacy with each prescription or refill of a medication. Also in 2005, FDA began a comprehensive review of 295 individual antidepressant trials that included over 77,000 adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders, to examine the risk of suicidality in adults who are prescribed antidepressants. In December 2006, FDA's Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee agreed that labeling changes were needed to inform health care professionals about the increased risk of suicidality in younger adults using antidepressants. Additionally, the committee noted product labeling needed to reflect the apparent beneficial effect of antidepressants in older adults and to remind health care professionals that the disorders themselves are the most important cause of suicidality. FDA has been developing language to revise product labeling and update the Patient Medication Guides for these products. Manufacturers of antidepressants will now have 30 days to submit their revised product labels and revised Medication Guides to FDA for review. Products involved in today's action include: Anafranil (clomipramine) Our prayers and condolences go out to the students, family, and residents of Virginia. News is coming out the shooter at Virginia Tech was using an antidepressant. The shooter had recently been referred to the school’s counseling service. If the shooter actually went to the school’s counseling service, he probably would have been prescribed the antidepressant at that time.
By Aamer Madhani The recent aberrant behavior usually happens when an antidepressant is initially started or when an antidepressant dosage is increased. Antidepressants have different effects on all individuals. Their own clinical trials demonstrate these phenomena. A person with depression may feel dull but no longer depressed after starting an antidepressant. However, another person with depression may be more depressed after starting an antidepressant. The same holds true when an antidepressant dosage is increased. An individual with violent, anger tendencies, agitation, etc, may become more so when an antidepressant is started or a dosage is increased. The same holds true when an antidepressant is reduced abruptly. There is no way to tell which turn in the road a person will make regarding side effects. What is known: The first large-scale study to examine the genetic polymorphism of CYP2D6 in an Asian population was conducted by the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. What was found in this study: If an Asian were to take any drug that uses the CYP2D6 to metabolize, up to 46% of the Asian population will not be able to metabolize the drug normally. There will be a build up of the drug in the body and the drug may take as long as 42 hours to clear, instead of the normal 18 hours. One variation within the CYP2D6 is called CYP2D6*10 allele. Forty-five percent of of the Asian population will have this DNA variation. This 45% Asian population base can count on adverse drug reactions, sooner rather than later. For other Asians, the drug will shoot through the liver enzymes too quickly and not have a chance to break down as designed, and a build up of the metabolites from the drug will occur. PLEASE: Do not abruptly stop taking an antidepressant. If you want to discontinue your antidepressant, please get with the prescribing physician and discuss how you are going to get off the antidepressant.
Our recommend reduction method can be found by clicking here How Has Drug Use Changed in 2007?
With that being the case and with the side effects that happen when psychiatric drugs are abruptly stopped or days are skipped between taking the psychiatric drug, what can we expect in the future? If you are a parent with children, please keep your medication safe. If you are a parent and you find out your child has been abusing psychiatric drugs, please do not abruptly stop your child from taking the drug. Inform your physician and have the child slowly taper off the drug. April 19, 2007 - The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry has issued the following findings: “Patients taking antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia often produce little or no hormone in the sex glands.” If you are a parent of a child prescribed an antipsychotic drug, you may be coming to the wrong conclusion by this opening statement. You may think, “My child does not have schizophrenia, so this does not apply to my child.” The antipsychotic drug causes the condition known as hypogonadism and not the schizophrenia. What is hypogonadism? Hypogonadism is a medical term for a defect of the reproductive system which results in lack of function of the gonads (ovaries or testes). The gonads have two functions: to produce hormones (testosterone, estradiol, antimullerian hormone, progesterone, inhibin B), and to produce eggs or sperm. Deficiency of sex hormones can result in defective primary or secondary sexual development, or withdrawal effects (e.g., premature menopause) in adults. Defective egg or sperm development results in infertility. The term hypogonadism is usually applied to permanent rather than transient or reversible defects, and usually implies deficiency of reproductive hormones, with or without fertility defects. The term is less commonly used for infertility without hormone deficiency. The facts from this study: If you are a female taking an antipsychotic drug, you have a 15-fold likelihood of sexual dysfunction. If you are a male taking an antipsychotic drug, you have a 9-fold likelihood of sexual dysfunction. If you are female, pre-menopausal, low estrogen production, taking an antipsychotic drug; you have a 79% chance of developing sexual dysfunction. If you are a female with low progesterone levels, you have a 92% chance of developing sexual dysfunction. Dr. Oliver D. Howes, Institute of Psychiatry, London, states, “ The high rates of hypogonadism suggest that patients are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.” Additionally, “Clinicians are advised to inquire about sexual dysfunction and monitor...hormone levels in patients taking antipsychotics.” Of note, this clinical trial was with patients taking antipsychotics for only six months or longer and did not evaluate the hypogonadism-increased risk with children.1 out of every 5 children that visit a psychiatrist are prescribed an antipsychotic drug. PLEASE: Do not abruptly stop taking an antipsychotic.
September 21, 2006 CBC - Ritalin, Adderall and all other drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have the potential to cause uncommon psychiatric side-effects including rare cases of agitation and hallucination in children, Health Canada warned Thursday. The department announced all drugs used to manage ADHD will carry new labels in December. Prescribing information will also be updated, based on an ongoing review of psychiatric events linked to the drug. Two million prescriptions for the stimulants, which increase blood pressure and speed up the pulse, were written in Canada in 2005, and use of the drugs is increasing. The psychiatric warning follows the department's May 2006 alert on rare heart-related risks for all ADHD drugs. Canadian adults and children were advised not to use the drugs if they have high blood pressure, heart disease or other heart problems, hardening of the arteries or an overactive thyroid gland. Drug labels were standardized to report the risk of rare heart-related side-effects. "ADHD drugs are generally safe and provide benefits for Canadians in their treatment of ADHD when used as directed," Health Canada said in a release. People should check with a doctor about taking the drugs or if they have questions or concerns. July 10, 2006 all major news networks ran a story regarding Effexor and hostility and violent tendencies. Hostility and violent tendencies are now a listed side effect of Effexor.Of note in the initial story, it was disclosed the the rare side effects from Effexor as well as other psychoactive medication means 1 in 1,000. If you were told hostility or violent tendencies would be a rare side effect would you have guessed 1 in a million or about as much chance of winning the lottery? One reporter however is being misled by at least one psychiatrist: "In psychiatry we always say, 'What can we do about the infrequent, random event, and how do we warn about the risk?' " Streusand said. "So for medical and legal reasons, you explain to everyone the risk." Were you explained the risk? Were you told you had a 1 in 1,000 chance of bleeding from the eye socket, having heart palpitations, a sudden and violent drop in blood pressure, anemia, develop joint disease, amnesia, hostility and violent tendencies or any of the side effects listed by clicking here. Were you told you could gain 50 pounds of weight or more and not be able to lose it? If you would like to help the reporter get the facts straight you can contact her by e-mail at445-3619 to reach by telephone AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF. Let Mary Ann know your story, what you have been through and make sure to let her know if your physician fully explained the risk to you.
Questions raised about drug Yates was taking
Reported by
ANGELA K. BROWN
HOUSTON (AP) -- An antidepressant that Andrea Yates had been
taking before she drowned her five children in 2001 has
recently been found to possibly increase the risk of
homicidal thoughts, according to a medical watchdog group
that says Effexor's manufacturer has not warned the public.
AP Business Writer Linda A. Johnson in Trenton, N.J.,
contributed to this report. FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted (C ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. This material is distributed without profit. |